Retractable rudder



A ril 15, 1941. E. ARBEITLANG 2,233,844,

RETRACTABLE RUDDER Filed June 29, 1939 52/0 Area 771. AMQ.

Patented Apr. 15, 1941 RETRACTABLE RUDDER Erich Arbeitlang, Bremen-Huchting, Germany, assignor to Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau G. in. b. 11.,

Bremen, Germany Application June 29, 1939, Serial No. 281,981 In Germany July 20, 1938 1 Claim.

This invention is directed to an improvement in rudders designed particularly for use in hydroplanes or other water craft, wherein the rudder may be moved to and automatically locked in an operative position for rudder service and manually released and moved to an inoperative position when the hydro-plane or like craft is moying over the line.

In rudders of the type designed for hydroplanes or the like, it is essential that the rudder parts be as light as possible consistent with the requisite strength and that they be capable of movement to adepressed or operative position, or to an elevated or inoperative position when required. It has been heretofore proposed to hold the rudder in an operative position through the use of comparatively strong springs, but as the force of such springs must be overcome in moling the rudder toward an inoperative position, the cooperating parts must be made of sufficient strength and rigidity to provide for the oveooming of the springs, and hence the ,constr than is not commercially adapted particularly for hydro-planes.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a rudder, which when moved to an operative position, is automatically locked in that position, and maintained in locked relation through the influence of a comparatively light spring, the force of which may be easily overcome manually, the lock released, and the rudder raised to an inoperative position while practically handling only the weight of the rudder itself.-

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichz Figure 1 is a broken view in elevation, s'howing the rear portion of a hydro-plane or like craft, with the attached rudder and the means according to the present invention for locking the rudder in operative position.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the rudder unlocked and with the parts in position to permil: the rudder to be raised to an inoperative position.

In the drawing, the improved rudder construction is shown as mounted on a hydro-plane or a like water crai t; though obviously it may be as well applied toany water craft, where for any reason it might become necessary to raise and lower the rudder.

The rudder isshown as a blade I of any conventional form, size or material, which is pivotally connected at 4 to cars or projections from a rudder post 2, removably supported for swing ing movement on conventional supports carried by the hydro-plane. The rudder post 2 is provided with a tiller or other means 3, of which the rudder post and thereby the rudder may be turned to provide its guiding function.

The rudder I is, in the instance illustrated, and particularly when used on hydro-planes, supported so that it will depend well below the bot tom of the hydro-plane for effective steering purposes, and yet be capable of being bodily elevated to a position above the bottom of the hydro-plane when the latter is moving over the ground. When the rudder is in operative position, it must obviously be supported or held in that position in a rigid manner, and yet the holding means must be capable of quick and convenient manipulation for the release of the rudder when it is desired to move it to an inoperative position.

The present invention is designed more particularly in connection with the means for holding and releasing the rudder. To this end, such means includes levers 6 and 1, the former pivoted at its upper end to a projection extending from the rudder post above the rudder connection, and the latter pivoted at its lower end to the rudder particularly as close to the edge remote from the hydro-plane as possible. The levers 6 and 'l are pivotallly connected at their proximate ends at l3 and are provided with inwardly projecting lugs H and I5, which are designed to be brought into contact when the combined lever 6 and 1 is in operative position. The faces of the lugs H and 15 are slightly inclined with respect to the plane of the lever of which they form a part, so that when the lug faces are in contact, the respective levers are out of line, that is, with their intermediate pivot point outwardly relative to the hydro-plane beyond their end pivot points. This of course establishes a lock between the rudder post and the rudder so far as any swinging movement of the rudder in connection with the pivot l is concerned.

The lever l at the end pivotally connected to the rudder I. is provided with an outstandin arm 8, connected by a relatively light spring 8 to a lower point H) on the rudder. This spring serves to maintain the levers 6 and I in locked position.

A manually operable element, such as a cable 5, is trained over a roller H at the upper end of the rudder post 2, and connected to the free end of the arm 8. Obviously, a pull on the element 5 will exert pulling pressure on the arm 8 sufficient to overcome the spring 9, break the levers 6 and I at their pivot 13, and as they pass the aligned position of such rudders, their tendency is naturally to an inward movement, as indicated in Figure 2, whereupon continuous pull on the element 5 will raise the rudder to a sufllciently elevated position to permit it to be conveniently moved to a completely operative position, where any conventional means (not shown) may be provided for holding it.

I It is apparent that the toggle lever connection, when broken, is no longer under the holding influence of the spring 9, and that when, with the parts in locked position, the force of this spring 9 is overcome by the manually operable element 5, the further resistance to the movement of the manual element is merely the weight of the rudder. As the spring 9 need necessarily be but light in force, it is apparent that the power required to move the rudder toward its inoperative position is comparatively little in excess or that required for moving the weight of the rudder. Thus the difiiculty in raising the rudder, as heretofore proposed, is entirely avoided.

Furthermore, when the rudder is moved from an inoperative to an operative position, the levers 6 and 1 will, in the downward movement of the rudder, move under the assistance of the spring 9 to a locking position, so that the rudder may be said, in its downward movement, to be automatically locked in operative position mere- 1y incidental to a downward movement of such rudder.

The manually operable element 5 may be of course in any desired form, and the means for connecting the rudder proper to the post or the post to the hydroplane, may be of any appropriate conventional or preferred means.

What I claim is:

The combination with a craft of a rudder means therefor, including a rudder post mounted for swinging on the craft for utilizing the rudder for steering purposes, a rudder pivotal-.

ly connected to the post, a two part break lever means pivotally connected at one end to the post and at the opposite end to the rudder remote from the pivotal connection of the latter to the post, said lever means being movable to a substantially in-line position when the rudder is in operative position with respect to the craft to lock the rudder against other than movement responsive to the movement of the post, the lever means being provided with an arm projecting from the pivotal support of the lever means to the rudder in a direction from the pivotal support of the rudder on the post, a spring connect ing the free end of the arm and the edge of the rudder, and manually operable means connected to the free end of the arm for overcoming the force of the spring andbreak the lever means to release the lock and permit movement of the lever to an inoperative position with respect to the craft.

ERICH ARBEI'I'LANG. 

